The U.S. strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities overnight on June 21–22 followed a highly intricate plan that entailed more than 125 U.S. aircraft and warships and layers of deception, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a Pentagon news briefing.

Hegseth said preparation for the mission—dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer—took place over weeks and months, “so that we could be ready when the president of the United States called.”